Capacity Building by Civil Society Organizations and Women’s Political Participation in Nairobi City County; Kenya

The general objective of this study was to determine the extent to which Capacity Building by Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) affects women’s political participation in Nairobi City County; Kenya. Despite the presence of many Civil Societies Organization in Kenya geared towards enhancing women’s political participation, little is known of the effect of their initiatives. This study adopted a descriptive survey design. The target population comprised of 112 women who vied for elective positions in Nairobi County via CSO support, some of whom were successfully elected. The researcher collected primary data via the use of questionnaires. Data collected was analyzed using both descriptive and inferential statistics using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 28.0.
The findings from inferential results reveal a positive and significant relationship between capacity building and women’s political participation in Nairobi City County; Kenya with a p < 0.01. Capacity building and women’s political participation had a Pearson correlation of r = 0.822 which implied a moderately strong positive correlation. The r-square for the model was 0.709. This implied that 70.9% of the variation in the dependent variable, women’s political participation could be explained by capacity building, the independent variable.
While the Social Capacity Theory and Empowerment theory that this study is anchored has been substantiated, the study recommends that CSOs should adopt sustainable frameworks that ensure ongoing mentorship, post-election engagement, and consistent monitoring of women who have contested in political races, CSO’s should introduce post-training tracking systems that should allow them assess progress and provide targeted assistance to women pursuing political leadership and lastly, the institutional capacity of CSO should be strengthened through activities such as: staff development, partnership-building, and improved data management systems to enhance their operational efficiency and advocacy impact. Above all, cooperation among organizations should be encouraged to prevent competition and duplication of efforts. Through collaboration, CSOs can pool resources, harmonize activities, and build stronger collective influence.

Capacity Building; Civil Society Organizations (CSOs); Women's political participation

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